7 Most Common Skype Issues & their Solutions (2018)

Skype is an essential business and communications tool, but it can also be a pesky one. You might come across several kinds of errors due to which Skype can’t connect even after trying every single solution. Hereafter, I have added some of the common problems we encounter with Skype. Solutions to them are also given just below them.

7 Most Common Skype Problems & their Solutions

1. Skype is unable to find your webcam, speakers or microphone

This generally occurs due to hardware problems. Driver issues and Windows errors can also cause these disconnections. Many times Skype’s own confusion causes it.

Solution: Troubleshoot under Tools>>Options. Click Audio Settings. Then Show advanced options. The list shows all devices that your computer has utilized. Sometimes Skype uses one such device which is not plugged in. You can notice it here. Similarly, check under Video settings too.

2. The call quality is terrible

General causes are: Your Wi-Fi is slow. You are positioned far from the router. There is congestion on your network.

Solution: If you are using a wireless connection, try moving closer to the router. When you find a =n area with good coverage, stay still for a while. This stabilizes your connection. It also improves quality by optimizing video compression. Check other computers are not hogging the bandwidth. If someone else is streaming some stuff, it will hamper your call.

Solution: Uninstall Skype Click to Call from Windows Control Panel. Check the add-ons in your web browser. If you find one as “Click to Call,” disable it. Now within Skype, visit Tools>Options>Advanced. Uncheck the top two boxes in it.

4. Skype credits which remain unused vanish after a period if they are not being used

When you use Skype to call to a landline, you probably have some dollars in credit lying around. If you don’t use them once in 180 days, Skype “deactivates” them. The credits are not deleted. Skype saves them in the virtual back room.

Solution: To get back your credits, look for a “Reactivate credit” button. This button shows where your balance appeared before. To reactivate your credits manually, you will have to sign in to your Skype account first.

5. Skype gives noisy notifications for everything

This occurs by default since Skype is a noisy companion. It will keep alerting you with a chirp or beep for everything. This includes birthdays of your contacts.

Solution: You can calm it down. Visit Tools > Options > Notifications > Notification settings. Uncheck all the options for which you don’t want any notification. You can tone Skype down further. Go to the “Sounds” tab, and uncheck any additional options you don’t want. Just click “Mute all sounds” for complete silence from Skype.

6. Installing Skype gives a Windows Installer 1618 error code

Installing more than one program at a time causes this generally. If you install Skype while Windows is installing updates, this can happen then too.

Solution: Ensure you are not installing other programs while installing Skype. Wait for Windows to update before you install. If it still does not work, restart your computer and try again.

To end the Microsoft Installer process manually:

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del and start Task Manager.

In the “Processes” tab, select MSIEXEC.EXE.

Click “End Process”.

Install Skype.

7. Signing into Skype for Windows desktop gives a Disk I/O error

Make sure you have downloaded the latest version of Skype.

Solution: Delete and recreate your user folder.

For this, go through the following steps:

Quit Skype. If you can see the Skype icon in the taskbar, right-click it and select “Quit Skype”. If you can’t see it, right-click the taskbar and click “Task Manager”, then select “Skype” and click “End Task”.

Press the Windows and R keys on your keyboard at the same time.

In the Run window, type “%appdata%\Skype” and click “OK”.

In the File Explorer window that opens, find the folder with the same name as your Skype Name.

You are about to delete this folder, which means your chat history will be deleted. If you want to save your chat history first, open the folder and copy the “main.db” file (depending on your Windows settings, you might not see the .db extension) and the “chatsync” folder to another location. You can transfer them back later, although we can’t guarantee that your entire chat history will be restored. Delete the folder.

Restart Skype and sign in. The folder you deleted in step 5 will be recreated. If you saved your chat history, copy the files back into the folder with the same name as your Skype Name.

Above were some of the common problems related to Skype and their solution. Hopefully, these will help you out when your Skype messes with you.